Three Takeaways from the Thunder's Fourth Consecutive Win to Sweep the Pelicans

Oklahoma City swept New Orleans on Monday night to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

While many still held doubts about this Thunder team heading into the postseason, the young guys continued to block out the noise and play their brand of basketball.

On Monday night, Oklahoma City took down a determined New Orleans Pelicans team in Game 4, completing the series sweep and advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals.

A 97-89 victory led by 24 points apiece from Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder defense stood tall yet again and forced the Pelicans to under 38% from the field and 24% from three, capping off an impressive defensive run versus some talented Pelicans scorers.

This now paves the way for Oklahoma City to be seriously looked at as a contender, but they'll still have to prove that to the skeptics who are unconvinced of their inexperience. Facing either the L.A. Clippers or Dallas Mavericks in the next round, they'll have a tall task to take care of, but will be well rested.

Here are three takeaways from the Thunder's series sweep over the Pelicans:

OKC Notches First Series Sweep Since 2012

En route to their first and only NBA Finals appearance versus the Miami Heat in 2012, the Thunder had to sweep a Dirk Nowitzki-led and reigning champion Dallas Mavericks team as one of the youngest teams in the league. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the charge, it was an incredible run, but they fell just short in the end.

Now 12 years later, and they have another young duo in Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams to make up one of the youngest teams in the league as well, sweeping the Pelicans to notch their first series sweep since that dismantling of the Mavericks long ago. Both fairly inexperienced Thunder teams with two bonafide stars, the comparisons have been their nearly all season long. Getting back to the Finals would seem like it was from a movie script, but it wouldn't be too farfetched.

Pelicans Held to Under 92 Points for Entire Series

Holding New Orleans to 92 points on Monday night completed an intense and well-orchestrated defensive effort for the Thunder, sticking to their principles and hinging off of their ability to force CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram into less-than-desirable shots.

Cason Wallace and Lu Dort are two of the perimeter defenders who were in the thick of the disruption, as they made life very difficult for the two Pelicans shot creators.

This defensive performance was consistent the entire series, as the Thunder did not let them get past 92 points in any of the four games, with New Orleans' series low being 85 points in Game 3. This series as a whole is one of the best four-game defensive stretches Oklahoma City has put forth in their franchise history, completely limiting the New Orleans offense in all four outings.

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Points off Takeaways Strike Big Again for OKC

All season long the Thunder had been, one of, if not the best, teams off scoring in transition following a forced turnover. That was no different in this series and certainly in Game 4, where Oklahoma City forced 19 turnovers and cashed that into 20 points on the other end, breaking down the Pelicans offensive confidence and running them tired on the break.

Oklahoma City's ability to run the floor and maintain their stamina is such a huge trait for this team heading into the weeds of stronger opponents. Nullifying a potential score with a takeaway before scoring on the other end without allowing a team's defense to get set is massive, and only assists the Thunder in their half-court sets.

Throughout the series, the Thunder forced the Pelicans to commit the most turnovers of any playoff team thus far with 17.3 per game, making up a crucial element to Oklahoma City's scoring.

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